Quote of the Day: Bob Crane about His Role on 'Hogan's Heroes'

I am keeping a running page of quotes by Bob Crane (click here or on the photograph below), but I have also decided to post some of the individually as well. The following is one of my favorite statements Bob made about his role as Colonel Hogan on Hogan's Heroes. Bob was used to performing comedy, but in the case of Hogan's Heroes, he was what is considered the "straight man," or the person from which all of the comedy bounces. The early episodes of Hogan's Heroes provide a glimpse of how Bob started out as more campy and more of the comedian, but then quickly toned that down to be more serious, allowing the comedy happening around him to succeed. Comedy is about timing, and Bob's portrayal of Hogan is perfection. And as someone who has loved Hogan's Heroes from the first day I discovered it, I adore the idea of Colonel Hogan being seen as a father figure to his men! 

Author Profits to be Donated to Charity in Bob Crane's Memory

Bob Crane with Pamela Hayes Thompson in Beginner's Luck.

It's tax time, and like many people, I'll be meeting with my accountant to review and do my 2015 taxes. And now that Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography is published, I'll be discussing something else: setting up a nonprofit account. Why? Because all author profits on the sales of the book will go to various charities in Bob Crane's memory.

My coauthors—Dee Young and Linda Groundwater—and I heard from many people how generous and charitable Bob was. We understand how much he wanted to help others, and he did so often and regularly, for little or no financial reimbursement. We felt it was only right to donate our share of the profits to charity in Bob's memory as a way to honor him and give back to the community at the same time. Plus, he should still be here, or at least have been allowed to live out his life to its natural end. Capitalizing on him in any way is not something we ever wished to do.

But there are bills to pay. We wanted to present this book properly, and that meant spending a lot of money. Once those production bills are paid off, we will donate. To us, it was never about making money. It was about the truth and telling Bob's complete and honest story. 

So learn about Bob Crane in the pages of our book. Discover his full life from birth to death, through his growing up years, to drums, to radio, to Hogan's Heroes, to the struggles he sought to overcome and his bright hopes for the future he never got to see. Know that as you're reading, a portion of the money you have spent will help others, just as we believe Bob would have wanted.

Enjoy, and as always—many, many thanks!

Bob Crane Biography Book Signing / February 6, 2016 / Barnes & Noble, Deptford, NJ

Beginning at 1:00 p.m. on February 6, 2016, I will be available at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Deptford, New Jersey, to sign copies of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography and answer any questions you may have. The winter weather can be a gamble in the Northeast, but I'm hoping that the snowstorm that clobbers us this weekend will satisfy Mother Nature until after my author event. Should there be inclement weather, however, I'll update this post and advise everyone on all of my social media sites. I'm looking forward to yet another fun and successful time meeting people and fans of Bob Crane and Hogan's Heroes! Hope to see you there!

2015: Wow, What a Year, with More in Store for 2016!

A few friends stopped in during my book signing
for Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography
at Bogart's Bookstore and Cafe
in Millville, New Jersey. I love this place!

On Friday evening, December 18, 2015, I enjoyed a night of book signing, music, and conversation at Bogart's Bookstore & Cafe in Millville, New Jersey. This was the latest in a string of book signing events I have done since Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography was published in September, and I have to say, I'm hooked! I love every second of it! There is nothing I love more than meeting people who like and appreciate Bob Crane, or who didn't know a whole lot about him before talking with me and who walk away with a more profound understanding of who he was as a person. 

Whether it was during a presentation before a large audience at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland, or casual conversations with curious shoppers at independent bookstores, one by one, people are starting to learn about Bob Crane. He was more than Colonel Hogan on Hogan's Heroes, more than a murder victim, and more than a means to a profit via scandal and sensationalism. He was human—and a good human at that. 

By far, my favorite moments are when people approach me with pre-conceived notions about Bob because of what they have already seen in the media but who change their opinion after meeting me. Initially, they use words like "creep," "pervert," "deviant," and "sick-o" to describe Bob, only to discover they have been misinformed. One lady came up to my table on Friday night and said, "Oh, that guy. I know all about him." After a few minutes of talking with me, however, her demeanor changed. Before she left, she said, "Thank you. I'm so happy and relieved to know he wasn't a jerk! I always liked him on Hogan's Heroes. This makes me feel so much better!"

Other favorite moments include learning that people have driven great distances to meet and talk with me. At the Nostalgia Convention in Maryland, one person drove all the way from Texas, and on Friday night, a gentleman and his wife drove up from Delaware. I'm completely humbled and touched by their gestures, and I only wish I had more time to talk with them! 

What I'm discovering is what my gut has always told me: people want to like Bob Crane. They just want to be reassured. I know because before I wrote this book, I was one of them. They loved him on Hogan's Heroes. Those who were lucky enough to hear his radio programs on both the East and West coasts loved hearing his shows. But since his murder and the sex scandal that followed, many have been unsure of what to think of their favorite POW or radio personality, especially when all the media has ever seemed to focus on were his murder and sex scandal. Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography is different from anything else that has ever been done for him. It puts everything in context, presents the facts, and dispels the myths. It's okay for people to like Bob Crane again! And for those who have read the book and/or talked with me, their outpouring of gratitude—and often with emotion—speaks volumes.

As we close out 2015, I am happy to say this has been a tremendous year for me. The first half was spent finishing writing and formatting, and the second half was spent promoting the book and enjoying its success. After production and publishing expenses are paid off, author profits will go to various charities in Bob Crane's memory. The reason for publishing this book was never to get rich; it was to simply do Bob justice by telling his true story.

As we move into 2016, more book signings/author appearances will be announced (save the date: February 6, 2016, I'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Deptford, New Jersey). I'm trying to work out some appearances in the Midwest and in Los Angeles, and I'll keep you posted as those develop. More radio interviews will be conducted. And of course, we will keep up our ongoing efforts for Bob's induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. The year 2015 was a remarkable year for me, and I anticipate 2016 will be just as exciting and rewarding. Thank you to every single one of you who has supported and helped along the way! 

Stay tuned—more good things are on the horizon!

Happy Holidays!

Win a Free Autographed Copy of Bob Crane's New Biography and Hogan's Heroes Season 6!

The cast of Hogan's Heroes season six.
Back row: John Banner, Richard Dawson, Bob Crane, and Werner Klemperer.
Seated: Robert Clary, Kenneth Washington, and Larry Hovis.

'Tis the Season! 

And we're celebrating by giving away some gifts! Simply submit your name and email address via our secure Contact Us form, and one lucky person will win an autographed hardcover copy of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography AND a brand new DVD box set of Hogan's Heroes season 6! Enter before midnight EST on December 23. Winner will be announced on December 24. Happy Holidays, and good luck! 

~Carol, Dee, and Linda

The End of an Era: Bob Crane's KNX-CBS Radio Finale—August 16, 1965

It was the end of an era.

Bob Crane, who had made a dynamic name for himself in radio on both the East and West Coasts beginning in 1950, was trading his radio microphone in for a U.S. Army Air Force officer's crush cap. And when Bob signed off KNX for the last time on Monday, August 16, 1965, there was a literal sob heard throughout Southern California, and most audibly, throughout the halls of Columbia Square, home of KNX.

Bob had already spent the last eight months working on Hogan's Heroes, all while maintaining his regular schedule at KNX. He thought he could continue on at KNX while also working full time on Hogan's Heroes, similar to as he had done while working on The Donna Reed Show. Ambitious though he was, Bob soon discovered he was wrong. The new schedule had proven to be grueling, and it started to affect not only his work, but his health.

The following is an exclusive excerpt from Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, by Carol M. Ford, with Dee Young and Linda J. Groundwater:

CBS had made it quite clear: Hogan’s Heroes must be a winner. They would accept nothing less. Neither would Bob. But with a starring role on a TV series and his regular job at KNX, Bob’s already manic schedule would now be nothing short of insane. Something had to give. Bob’s intention was to continue at KNX while filming Hogan’s Heroes, working both jobs simultaneously the same way he had done when he worked on The Donna Reed Show. On May 6, 1965, Bob entered into another one-year contract with CBS to continue his morning program at KNX from 1965-1966. By this time, the agreements between Bob and KNX were fairly informal, with Bob himself even claiming that they were more or less a handshake deal, even though signed contracts did exist. Bob enjoyed his work in radio, and KNX knew Bob was their top commodity.

However, after filming the first several episodes of Hogan’s Heroes, the arrangement soon proved to be far more difficult than Bob or anyone else had anticipated. There was a big difference between being part of a supporting cast and carrying the lead role in a series. Nevertheless, Bob struggled to maintain both jobs.

“I did both The Donna Reed Show and my radio show for two years,” Bob said. “But that was a situation where I wasn’t in every scene. I wasn’t Donna Reed in other words. But in this series, I am Donna Reed.” 

The dual career arrangement was to be short-lived. By June 1965, Bob had discovered that juggling two full-time and highly prolific careers was irrational—and impossible. He could not perform both jobs well, take care of himself and his family, and remain sane. It became too much.

“People were swarming around me with fresh cups of coffee, foot massages, and soothing words,” Bob had said, “and it suddenly hit me what the trouble was—I was just too darned tired. I had pushed it. When we first started the new series, I was falling apart physically. That’s when I decided I couldn’t do the radio show too. I tried to carry on until January [1966] after my replacement for radio was hired. But one day, I just started forgetting my lines. That was the day I made up my mind to quit the [radio] show. Being on radio and starring in a TV series at the same time means waking up at five-thirty a.m., going to do four hours of radio, then running down to the set and staying there until seven-fifteen at night, then getting my makeup off and going back to the radio station to get my music ready for the next day, getting home at nine-thirty, eating dinner, looking at my lines for a few minutes, and then falling asleep. I got so I was Uncle Daddy to my kids. ‘My wife, what’s her name’ and all those jokes were apropos. When I’d drive in the driveway, the kids would say, ‘Hey, here comes Bob Crane.’ I got Bob Sutton (general manager of KNX) on the phone and said, ‘I’ve had it, buddy. I’m bugging out early,’ and that was that. Fortunately, there is such a great group of guys over there that they understood.” 

Despite the signed contract, CBS and KNX realized that it was dangerous to Bob’s health for him to continue at full capacity in both Hogan’s Heroes and at KNX. So, with the approval of KNX and CBS, Bob bowed out of radio. It was a pivotal decision for Bob to leave the medium he had always loved and that had made him both wealthy and famous. After more than fifteen consecutive years behind the microphone, from one coast to the other, Bob hosted “The Bob Crane Show” live for the last time over KNX on Monday, August 16, 1965. (pp. 215-216/hardcover edition, © Carol M. Ford). 

Bob Crane brought a whole new dimension to radio. He incorporated what KNX termed his "show stuff" (in other words, his skits, gimmicks, and drumming) with the traditional programming of music and commercials. Bob invented what was known as "sampling"—not breaking his show into segments, but rather, having everything flow together. A commercial became part of a skit became part of the next record, during which he would also drum along, and then some pieces were revisited later during another part of the show. It all flowed together; none of it was compartmentalized.

A gifted voice impersonator, KNX also hailed him as radio's "Man of a Thousand Voices," and most of the voices heard on Bob's show were created and performed by Bob himself. People listening would swear they were hearing Bob carrying on a conversation with another person in a particular skit, but in reality, in many cases, it was all performed by Bob and then pre-recorded.

Of course, Bob's KNX celebrity interviews were unparalleled in radio at the time, and should still today command great respect. These interviews are a treasure trove of Hollywood history. During his tenure at KNX, he interviewed thousands of celebrities and Hollywood notables. So successful and entertaining were his interviews, that producers urged Bob to transition his radio show to television. They also pressed him to replace Jack Paar on The Tonight Show. After Bob declined, it went to Johnny Carson.

Bob's colleagues in radio have referred to him as a radio genius. Much of what Bob did behind the mic seemed to flow right from his mind, without any preparation. And while some of that is true—some of his quips and ad libs were spontaneous—he prepared extensively for his radio show, so much so, that when he launched into his program each morning, it all flowed together. He was very much at home behind a microphone, and he enjoyed every second of it.

Bob stayed close to radio for his entire life. During Hogan's Heroes, he donated many hours of his time with the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Network. Following the cancellation of the series, he returned to radio briefly, working at KMPC, where he filled in for his former broadcasting competition, Dick Whittinghill, and then provided a year-long series of specials for the station. In 1976, he returned to WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he helped the station celebrate its 50th anniversary.

In radio, Bob Crane became a star. We all know him as the wise-cracking Colonel Hogan, but radio is where he got his basic training. He learned new skills at every station, beginning at WLEA in Hornell, New York, in 1950, and he carried those skills with him throughout radio and beyond into acting and directing. The impromptu title bestowed upon him—"King of the LA Airwaves"—is mostly accurate. He truly was, but not just in Los Angeles! 

Shortly before his death, Bob hinted at possibly wanting to write his own autobiography. Imagine what we might have learned—and specifically about radio and his time at KNX—if his life had not been cut short and he had only been allowed that opportunity.

Book Trailer #1 for 'Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography'

It's hard to believe that in May 2011, this blog started as a web presence in support of Bob Crane's nomination for the National Radio Hall of Fame. His induction is still the goal, but it's only part of the larger effort. Everything ~ this campaign, the book, the website, the social media pages ~ they all are interconnected with the over-reaching aim of providing the truth about Bob Crane and shining light on his lesser-known yet equally important contributions to the entertainment industry and society.

On September 17, 2015, the long-awaited Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography will be published. If you haven't seen me around lately, it's with good reason. I've been just a little bit busy! In addition to the demands of my career as an editor and managing editor for a health care publishing firm, in my spare time, I spent two solid years writing the book, which took 12 years to research ~ a collaborative effort between Dee Young, Linda Groundwater, and myself. 

It was, for all involved, a pure and honest labor of love.

As I sit here holding the first official copy hot off the press, my heart swells. I'm completely overwhelmed. I won't lie. It's a huge book, and at 660 pages, my publisher was about ready to shoot me! Yet it was all important to include. Further, it's a treasure trove of history, not just about Bob Crane, but also of the eras in which he lived and worked.

• The Great Depression
• World War II
• The Big Band Era
• The Golden Age of Radio
• The Swinging Sixties
• The "Me" Decade of the Seventies

I hope, with all my heart, that this book brings a new perspective of Bob Crane to the media and public. Beyond that, I want more than anything for it to brings peace to his family, friends, and loved ones. In short, I truly hope it makes people happy ~ because brining joy and happiness to others was what Bob Crane always wanted to do. ~Carol Ford

Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography ~ Trailer #1